Chapter 16

Morning sun crept between the curtains, casting a warm glow in Luca's room. He woke up in a jolt, still being chased by his nightmare. Seemed to consider something for a moment, then sat up and began thinking on his half-Symbiote heritage. He tried a number of mental exercises, trying to tap into any latent powers or transformations. He envisioned himself morphing into a Symbiote, but nothing worked. The whole thing was useless, and it teased him, really; that disturbed him.

Psyros' voice cut through his thoughts-a mix of bemusement and irritation. "What silly things are you doing?" he said. "You said yourself that time will reveal who you truly are. I say the time is now". Instead of this nonsense, you should focus on training your body more said pyros.

Luca heaved a heavy sigh, resigned to his destiny. "Fine, fine. I'll train."

Long hours of exhaustive physical training followed. He worked himself hard, pouring on the sweat through every set of exercises he was doing, his muscles on fire but he did not stop till he knew he was in better condition than before.

As he finished his workout, he felt a presence of some girls staring at him from afar. Their whispers and giggles were clear as night and day. One of them said, "Who is that?"

"That's Luca apparently," the second girl replied.

"He's so lean and handsome. Even his sweat's hot," the third said.

"And look at those lashes. They're so long and pretty," another added.

Luca was aware of himself through the admiration of the girls. He snatched up his clothes, struggling to get dressed and attempting to disregard their hot glances on him. He walked away but heard, "owwww, too bad. I was enjoying the show."

At this, Luca felt embarrassed and muttered, "Those girls hate me."

Psyros, who watched from behind the trees, burst into gales of laughter. "HEYY! Since when do you laugh in my expense?" Luca exclaimed.

"Sorry, sorry," Psyros stammered, red with the effort of withholding his laughter. "You are just too funny."

Smoothing his face into a more serious expression, Luca turned to address the chief. "Excuse me, where would surface Naxons be most commonly found?"

The village chief arched an eyebrow. "Why should you want to know that?"

Luca hesitated, then stuttered out, "I-just curious. Want to know where to avoid going, you know?"

The village chief, rather skeptical, jotted a place down on a piece of paper and handed it to Luca. "Here's a place where they are known to frequent. Stay safe."

Luca took the note and prepared to take his leave. Psyros' voice suddenly appeared, "I knew it. You want to test out your powers."

Psyros was cut off before Luca could say anything. Aiko walked up to him and said, "Luca, I want to go with you."

Luca stared at her in shock. "No, are you crazy? You are to wear .

Aiko moved close to luca. "you were gonna say weak I know."

Luca acting like he was shocked. " no I I would never think of you that way believe me, its just to dangerous."

She stepped closer to him, looking straight into his eyes. "But you're going to protect me, aren't you?"

"Well, yes, of course, I will," he replied, somewhat astonished.

"Now it is settled, then," she declared with a resolute voice. "I am going with you."

Luca opened his mouth for further protests, and she continued with the explanation, "Actually, I have always wanted to see the outside world. Living in this village feels like being incarcerated and I want to experience all the wonders beyond its boundaries. I am frail, I know, but I wish to improve my skills and fight knowledge."

Luca exhaled deeply, knowing she wouldn't move. "Fine, let us be off, then, and keep close to me," he replied, giving in to her request.

By the time they were getting ready to leave, Psyros' voice echoed in Luca's head one more time. "Be careful, Luca. The world outside is not a very predictable world; there are perils out there beyond the surface Naxons. Do not forget to protect yourself and those that surround you."

Luca nods, and he and Aiko start walking in the direction that the village chief has pointed out. For every successful journey, as they say, the road is always paved with teething challenges. Similarly, this journey was promising to be one of many more challenges and discoveries ahead.